OK, here's someone saying whay I was trying to say. But this person is much better at it; and he actually saw the movie.

Because despite some over-quirky trappings and a fairly familiar sense of weird humor, Eagle vs. Shark is (in some ways) even better than Napoleon Dynamite -- the film which Eagle vs. Shark will be compared with most frequently. (I definitely enjoyed Napoleon, but it seemed to harbor a mild contempt for its characters, whereas Eagle most definitely does not.) Both films are set in exotically bland locales that are populated by humorously askew denizens who spew some seriously arcane conversations at one another. But there's a real sense of sweetness to this Kiwi import that elevates it beyond many of its ilk -- and the actors are really good. from a review at Cinematical by Scott Weinberg.

Yeah, I read that review also D There is hope yet Even if the writer did mention some film called Napoleon Dynamite

And now for something else, while I am here

There are so many of them (reviews that is) I can't be arsed to keep updating with them. If a few more appear online I'll do another all in one update, otherwise I'll just leave it now, as its becoming overkill. I like covering the non Conchords stuff of course, but I am aware its not what the site is actually about so I don't want to overdo it for the people out there reading it all. Plus all the reviews can be found via a quick search anyways

That's my daughter standing next to Jemaine in the bus shelter... colour me proud.
Taika was apparently looking for an 11 year old Maori boy to play the character of Jemaine's son in the movie, but instead chose an 8 year old blonde girl with no previous acting experience. He did explain it to me, but I probably won't fully understand the depth of his genius (or madness?) until I see the movie.

Don wrote:That's my daughter standing next to Jemaine in the bus shelter... colour me proud. Taika was apparently looking for an 11 year old Maori boy to play the character of Jemaine's son in the movie, but instead chose an 8 year old blonde girl with no previous acting experience. He did explain it to me, but I probably won't fully understand the depth of his genius (or madness?) until I see the movie.

Ooooo So cool for you and her. Sorry I don't have a bigger pic of it, but hey, its there.

Thats a nice bit of info. The plot thickens Hope your daughter enjoyed her time making the film

Got any insider info for us Don

So glad you signed up to post this Chuffed for you both. Thanks for letting us know

Cool Don! So is she supposed to be Jarrod's daughter? Isn't he a bit young for that? How exciting for her to be in a movie at such a young age with one of the up and coming directors this year. You never know where that will lead. Good on ya both!

And now for another review. I like this one because I am one of the few who saw Napoleon Dynamite and didn't think it was that interesting. In fact, I couldn't even sit through it the first time. But after a few people on this site suggested I give it another try, I did. And though it wasn't awful, I felt like it didn't really go anywhere. The lead character was so blah that I didn't connect. So I was not invested in his success and it left me sort of bored and empty. Most of the reviews of Eagle vs Shark tell us that we will be routing for Jarrod and Lily. This one tells me what I've been wanting to hear the most, that it won't disappoint the way ND did.

"Eagle vs. Shark," is a little movie from New Zealand which is everything that "Napoleon Dynamite" failed to be in my eyes. It's a charming, funny tale of social misfits. by Becky Hodges on her blog becksday.blogspot.com

I'm looking forward to the "charming," from Jemaine and Loren. I have a feeling I won't be disappointed!

Sherry wrote:Ooooo So cool for you and her. Sorry I don't have a bigger pic of it, but hey, its there.

Thats a nice bit of info. The plot thickens Hope your daughter enjoyed her time making the film

Got any insider info for us Don

So glad you signed up to post this Chuffed for you both. Thanks for letting us know

There's a good quality copy of the picture (can be enlarged to screensaver size) in this PDF file:
<http://www.nzfilm.co.nz/downloads/nz%20film%2078.pdf>

Other issues with pictures and news of the film:
<http://www.nzfilm.co.nz/downloads/nz%20film%2076.pdf>
<http://www.nzfilm.co.nz/downloads/nz%20film%20issue%2081.pdf>

Yes, Morag enjoyed the experience very much. I wasn't working at the time so I was employed as her chaperone. I'd never heard of Taika, and only knew of Jemaine because my wife likes FOTC.

As for "insider info", it sounds like a cliche, but Morag was actually discovered in a playground. The casting agent had taken her son to play in the same playground, and noticed Morag. She asked if Morag would like to audition for a bit part. She auditioned and was accepted, then we were told that the director had seen the tape and would like her to audition for a speaking part. She learned some lines, auditioned again and was accepted. We signed the contract on a Friday and shooting started on the Monday. It's a measure of the quality of Taika's script that he was able to leave the character name the same and make only minor script changes to accomodate the gender change.

All of the people were wonderful to work with, some of the nicest people I have ever met. My wife was very apprehensive, having heard all the cliches about movie folk, and nearly didn't let her go even with me as chaperone, but by the end of it she was totally won over.

In answer to Deirdre: yes, she plays Jarrod's daughter. He's separated/divorced from his wife, who is seen only in passing as she drops Vinnie off to be with Jarrod. My interpretation of the situation was, "Your dead-beat dad's in town, you can go and stay with him and give me a break." When you see the movie, the first scene with Morag is where she greets Jarrod as he arrives at the family home. If she convincingly portrays the awkwardness of someone who's just been dropped off to stay with someone she doesn't know very well, it's because it was her very first scene before the camera, plus she'd only met Jemaine in real life a few days before and had had no opportunity to get to know him.

I see that EvS was unfortunately unplaced at Sundance, but there's still Rotterdam and Berlin. I agree about the reviews, the comparison with ND isn't too bad a thing in that more than one reviewer preferred EvS because it was warmer and more human than ND. I await the release in NZ with considerable impatience.

Those links were great because we hadn't seen those before. And it's inside trivia, like how Morag played the scene where she was dropped off to stay with her absentee dad, that makes me seem so "connected."

I've just found some extremely high quality images in the IFFR presskit. The majority are 8 megapixel, suitable for blowing up to poster size. Most of them are repeats of film stills you've already seen, but there is one of Jemaine on a ski slope, apparently taken at Sundance. That one's only 2 megapixel but still very good quality. Get 'em before they disappear.

Hoyts Distribution is still quoting June as a NZ release date, in spite of Steve Gray quoting March 8th on the Good Morning programme last week. He got a few other facts wrong too, but he's enthusiastic about the movie and that's the main thing.

I've just found some extremely high quality images in the IFFR presskit. The majority are 8 megapixel, suitable for blowing up to poster size. Most of them are repeats of film stills you've already seen, but there is one of Jemaine on a ski slope, apparently taken at Sundance. That one's only 2 megapixel but still very good quality. Get 'em before they disappear.

Sherry wrote:Just to let people know, its Taika not Jemaine on the ski slope there

*goes back to bed*

Colour me red. I was up past my bedtime too. You may well be right, but it doesn't quite look right for Taika either? If it is him, the photo must have been taken immediately after arriving at Sundance. There was another director there who looks quite a lot like him...Oh well, never mind.